Cerita Perempuan
Cerita Perempuan is a story in the Grey Menace chapters. Characters * Philomena Develsbourne * Miranda Sucipto * Sri Mangkoenonadimedjo (flashbacks) * Matilda Willem (flashbacks) * Hugo Willem (flashbacks) * Ardyan Soeatmodjo (flashbacks) * Aryati Soeatmodjo * Wurina Soeatdmodjo * Retno Soewardi * Prabowo Mangkoedimedjo (flashbacks) * Eleanor Mangkoedimedjo * Lusinda Sucipto * Minah Mintarsih * Kevin * Kevin's widow * Kevin's grandson * Kevin's dog * Otong (flashbacks) * Iting (flashbacks) * Aatje Sputer (flashbacks) Plot The Beginning It is 1967. A tall young man is sitting by the window on a train, looking out at the station. An elderly woman arrives, and asks him to switch his seat because she might need the fresh air. He gladly obliges, and the two introduce themselves. She tells him how excited she is to meet her friend in Bandung and advises him to love while he still has the chance. Meanwhile, miles away, Philomena Develsbourne was on her way home to the Van Haji House in Paterosari, to celebrate her birthday along with her twin sister Matilda Willem. Upon her arrival, she received news from her mother Moes that her great-aunt, Bibi Sri, had passed away. The elderly woman died in her sleep on her way to a friend's house in Bandung on the train while still in Purbalingga, and was helped by a young man she met on the train. Moes deals with the news stoically, while Phil noticed her father Bowo was quietly crying to himself. Phil is told that they have to catch the next train to Jogjakarta that night for Bibi Sri's funeral. As Phil packs for Jogjakarta, she finds herself remembering Bibi Sri and allows herself to weep. Phil, her sister, her brother-in-law, and her parents leave for the train station, and on the way to Jogjakarta, Phil looks out into the stars and begins to think deeply. She arrives at Jogjakarta in the morning on the day of her birthday with great discomfort, and the family awaits to be picked up. The scene then flashes forward into the present time, with Philly conversing late at night with the housekeeper, Ua, over some tea. They discuss her upcoming birthday and trip to Jogjakarta, telling Ua that it is for a sort of pilgrimage for Bibi Sri's death. Phil retires into her bedroom and looks at a letter exasperatedly. The next morning, Mira greets her great-aunt in her bedroom and wishes her a happy birthday, also begging her to take her to Jogjakarta with her. Phil thinks it over for a while and decides to allow her to come along. As the two depart, Lusi expresses concern over her daughter intruding on Phil's plans, which Phil digresses because she recalls how she hates travelling alone. The ill Moes cryptically tells Phil that she will be okay, which confuses Phil. The two depart, and on the train, Phil discusses the idea of selfishness with Mira. The Quiet Funeral Flashing back to the past, Bowo's brother-in-law, Ardyan Soeatmodjo, arrives at the train station to pick up the family. They are brought to Bowo's dilapidated family mansion, Puri Asem, where Bibi Sri lived alone with her servants. They are greeted by Bowo's pregnant younger sister, Yati, and their daughter Wurina. They meet the elderly, long-serving housekeeper, Mbok Retno, who was also a childhood friend of Bibi Sri, and attend to the body of Bibi Sri, laid down in the living room of the quiet, empty house. Phil was rather shocked at the lack of mourners, and had the feeling that the house will be sold soon as it is too large to be kept by the family. The burial had more mourners, but Phil stayed away from the main event because of her dislike for crowds. After the burial, she is introduced to the man who helped Bibi Sri, Kevin. The family invites him over for dinner and to stay the night. Over dinner, it is discovered that Kevin went to UI as Philly did. Before bed, the sisters regale old times with their mother and Mbok Retno, noting how fleeting life is. Before bed, Tilda gives Philly a cup of hot milk, while giggling at the possibility that Philly is keeping a safe distance from Kevin because she is attracted to him. Philly is rather displeased at this and her sister leaves. The door is knocked again, and it is Kevin this time. Kevin asks her to go out to the veranda with him to talk about Bibi Sri, and the two have a deep conversation about Bibi Sri and feminism. They spend the next few days talking and going around the town together. In the present time, Philly and Mira arrive at Puri Asem, now a boarding house for girls run by Bibi Yati (revealing that the house was kept by her and her family after Bibi Sri's death). They greet her and are welcomed to stay at a room in the main house's guest bedroom. Philly has a conversation with Mira about Bibi Sri once more, and promises to tell her more after she rests since they spent the night on the train. As Mira is sleeping, Philly decides to traverse through the corridors of the house to reminisce. Afterwards, she and Mira goes to have lunch at a cafe that she and Kevin went to once. The Last Days Phil recalls her last day in Jogja, with her not very eager to say goodbye. She takes a liking to Kevin who listens to and is interested in what she has to say despite him not having that much in common with her, since Philly wants to have adventures while she's young while Kevin wants to settle down. Kevin leaves Jogja to go home, and Philly waves him goodbye from the platform. Philly and Mira goes to a park, and while Philly sits on a bench, Mira goes off to buy ice cream. She sits next to an old woman and the two have conversation about the weather. The woman then asks her if she is Philomena Develsbourne, and reveals that she is Kevin's widow. Kevin died a few days ago, and he wanted Phil to know how much meeting her changed his life and how much it helped his marriage and family, how she taught him to value his wife first as an individual before she is his wife or a mother. Phil compliments Kevin's widow on her wisdom to take it seriously and smiles. Mira later returns with a girl and a dog, who are actually Kevin's granddaughter and dog, and Kevin's widow introduces Phil as an old friend of his grandfather's. After saying goodbye and thanking the woman, Philly and Mira leaves the park, and Phil suddenly turns melancholic. She reveals the truth to Mira, how she received a letter a few days before her birthday from Kevin who would like to meet her again in Jogja. They go back to the boarding house and meet Bibi Yati, and there, as they have tea, Philly tells Mira how she was looking forward on settling old feelings with him, and how a lot of people seem to be inspired by her but none of them wanted to be with her. They go to Bibi Sri's grave, and Philly remembers Bibi Sri, thinking that although she is inspiring and was an admirable person, she was alone for so long and Philly realised how Bibi Sri might've felt the same thing that she felt at that moment. Upon arriving back home, Moes comforts a crying Philly, telling her how she always expects too much and that she has use in this world, that people need her, regardless of whether or not people want to be with her intimately. She had seen the letter that she left behind and Bibi Yati kept her up with news about Phil, eavesdropping on their conversations. Later that day, she goes to pick up Moes' medicine delivery at the post office. A young man collapses onto the ground, and Phil comforts him as paramedics are being called. The man says that he has no family or emergency contact, so Philly decides to come with the paramedics on the ambulance. As she comforts him, she realises how she is needed and that she has a purpose. Category:Stories